Cornet Chop Suey cooks up some Louis

If you missed the Jan. 19 concert at Bertha Frank Performing Arts Center, I feel sorry for you.

I’ll admit, I did not know what to expect when I heard I would be listening to Cornet Chop Suey. But, with a name like that, I could not help but chuckle and hope for the best.

The band’s name was inspired by an obscure piece performed by Louis Armstrong. Cornet Chop Suey plays a variety of compositions, mixing in jazz, blues and swing while adding its own entertaining, and often humorous, touch.

The show was part of the Morton Fine Arts Association’s Winter Concert Series. The series has been around for two years, a little less than the life of the MFAA. Each year, several bands from around the world stop through town to the delight of hundreds of music-savvy Mortonites.

You may remember the organization was responsible for the heavily attended Arts in the Park series last summer.

Since its inception, the MFAA has brought top-quality entertainment to Morton at a surprising rate. Though I have not been to every show, I have seen enough to know each one is a treat, regardless of quirky names. Phil Kuhl, the obvious ring leader of talent recruitment, has yet to let me down.

Last week, that streak continued.

Following a village board meeting that night, I bounced from Freedom Hall to the Bertha Frank Performing Arts Center for mindless consumption of melody. I showed up at around halftime while numerous people mingled among themselves over appetizers in the lobby.

With my camera in one hand and another small video camera in the other, I prepared to grab shots of the performance for both the paper and the Web site.

About 16 measures into the first song, I found myself not working at all. I simply could not take a solid shot with my right foot constantly keeping beat.

Once the lead singer of Cornet Chop Suey, Brian Casserly, announced the next song, the West Side Story Medley, I knew the last thing I wanted to do was take photos. So, I placed my camera to my side and snuck to the front of the auditorium for a front-row seat for the song.

I was overwhelmed by the strong articulation of each note. Each one had me shaking my head as if to say, “That is just ridiculous.”

It was ridiculous. No band has ever had me at full attention the way Cornet Chop Suey did. Casserly backed those melodies with impressive vocals.

But, that was just the beginning of what was going to humble me as a young music enthusiast.

John Gillick, the group’s drummer, began what I will no doubt consider one of the longer, more exhilarating drum solos I will ever witness from a drummer that was not rocking the ‘80s metal hair.

Gillick was relentless. His face turned beet red and the auditorium lights glistened off his forehead, which was saturated in sweat. I kept on asking myself, “Can this guy really continue without passing out?”

Without a break, he traversed to the next song, which other band members probably waited about seven minutes to begin playing.

I was in shock. I could not believe I just watched a man more than twice my age do something I probably could not do without five cups of coffee and six spoons of sugar.

Kuhl asked me several days later what I thought of the performance, to which I replied I was still in awe. That show was incredible. Perhaps it was Morton’s best-kept secret for one night. Fortunately, more than a hundred people were in attendance to watch it with me.

The Winter Concert Series is not just for old timers, it is for anyone who appreciates music, trust me. Whether it is a big band collaboration, or a smaller group, each one has its own personality that will satisfy even the more modest enthusiast.

Two more concerts remain, including performances by Time for Three Feb. 15 and The Teddy Lee Orchestra March 16. For more information, call 263-7300.